Reaching for the Stars
by Catde Dahlin
Summary: 16 year old Caz dreams of being in a rock band. After her best friend is killed, she almost gives up hope. Then one day she's visited by two strange people in a bunny and cat costume and her life is changed forever...
1. Shinigami

**_Author's Note: _**_I'm not finished withthis yet but I hope you like what I have so far. It's my own spin-off of Full Moon wo Sagashite (though it may contain SPOILERS for both the manga and the anime!).Throughout the storyI used a lot of commonly known Japanese words. Please don't get mad at me for using broken Japanese. After watching the Full Moon anime, words like "hai" and "demo"come easily to me when I'm writing. Before you read, if you're not familiar with theJapanese words I used,here's a little guide:_

Hai - yes

Konnichiwa - hello

Sayonara - goodbye

Gomen/Gomennasai - pardon or sorry/I'm sorry

Arigatou - thank you

Nani - what

Kawaii - cute

Demo - but, however

(I'm currently learning Japanese so if I got something wrong and you know the right thing, don't hesitate to correct me!)

_Finally I'm done with that. Now you can read the story. Yay!_

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_**Reaching for the Stars**_

**Chapter 1:** Shinigami

Morning light filtered through an open window. A gentle wind flowed into the room and caressed the cheek of a sleeping girl. Her shoulder-length blonde hair, dyed blue at the ends, fell over her pillow as she slept. Feeling the chill of the breeze, the girl woke revealing her emerald green eyes. She yawned and threw off her covers. Stretching her arms, she peered at herself in the full-length mirror on her wall.

The girl was tall, a few inches away from six feet. She wore a long black T-shirt and purple pajama pants. Two silver hoops dangled from her earlobes. Her hair was a mess, sticking up in places. She quickly brushed her hair and glanced around the small room. Worn clothes and crumpled pieces of paper cluttered the floor. There were posters covering the walls. All of them of the girl's favorite rock bands. A guitar leaned against one wall. The black case had the image of flames painted on the bottom. There was a sliding glass door at the back of the room. The girl walked over to it and looked out.

Outside there was a small deck. A potted plant, wilted from lack of moisture, sat on the railing. Past the railing, skyscrapers filled the horizon. The buildings, all different colors and sizes, seemed to go on forever. The blonde girl opened the glass door and walked out onto the deck. She breathed deeply and allowed the crisp morning air to fill her lungs, ignoring the distant beeps and honks of traffic. Having lived in the big city all her life she was used to it. She looked up into the vast blue sky and felt a sense of calm throughout her whole body. Suddenly a sharp voice pierced her tranquil thoughts.

"Caz, you little delinquent! Hurry up or you're going to be late for school again!" a female voice yelled.

"Okay! Okay! Geez." the blonde girl, Caz, muttered under her breath.

Caz went back into the darkness of her room and shut the glass door behind her. She walked out of her room and down a short hallway. She emerged from the hall into a white kitchen. It had all white appliances and a sparkling tiled floor. Everything was clean and spotless.

A woman in her 20s sat at a table in the center of the room. She had black hair, pulled up into a neat bun at the base of her neck, and rich brown eyes. The woman wore a light blue suit and had on a large silver watch on her right wrist. She was watching the news on a small television on the counter nearby and quickly eating a bowl of cereal. The news woman on the TV screen was holding her microphone as blue and red ambulance lights flashed in the background. Frantic medics and police officers ran around two scrunched and mangled cars.

"Wow, you're up. What a surprise." the woman snickered, looking up.

"Yeah, real funny, Aiyun." Caz replied, glaring at her sister.

Aiyun's chocolatey eyes followed Caz as she grabbed a bowl and cereal from one of the cupboards.

"Enough with the attitude, Caz. You're sixteen years old. Grow up."

Caz stuck her toungue out. "Right. And I should be just like you. Miss perfection."

Aiyun scowled and pointed her spoon at her sister. "No. You should actually try in school and get good grades to go to college. You know how lucky you are to even be able to go to college? Most kids don't make it past middle school."

"Shut up!" Caz shouted, nearly spilling cheerios on the floor as she dumped them furiously into her bowl. "Leave me alone. I've had enough of mom's shit. I don't need yours, too."

"See! There you are again. Acting like a little kid, using foul language. I swear. Why did mother ever adopt a brat like you?"

Caz didn't reply, her rage showing on her face. She slammed her bowl down at the table, sat down, and began to eat.

"Sooner or later you'll have to realize that it takes responsibility to make it in this world. You have to use your head!"

The blonde girl continued to ignore her sister. It was like that every morning. It was either her mother or her sister giving her a lecture about something.

Wordlessly, Caz escaped from Aiyun's glare and back to her room. There the blonde girl threw on her wrinkled school uniform which consisted of a short bright green skirt and a white shirt with a navy blue bow across the front. Caz made a face at the uniform in her mirror. She hated the uniform and thought it was ugly. She wished more than anything that she could wear her own clothes to school. Worst of all, it made her look like everyone else. That included all of the rich girls that were daughters of the higher-ups of big corporations. She hated them, too. They were always too happy and talked too much. They also gossiped and treated other people like dirt. Caz wasn't into that sort of thing. To her, talking about other people like that was awful. Because of that, she wasn't very popular at school. It didn't help that she had golden hair and green eyes when everyone else had black or brown hair and black or brown eyes. It made her stick out like a sore thumb. Because she was different she was always pushed to the side. Not that she didn't have friends, of course.

Caz hung around with a group of rebellious, punk kids. They all dyed their hair different colors and wore outrageous clothes when they weren't in school. In a way her different hair and eye color made her fit in with them. However, they were just people she could relate to. She couldn't share her personal thoughts and feelings with them. She couldn't tell them about her hopes and dreams. But there was one person she could talk to about all those things. Akio Kunisai was her best friend in the world. He was a year older but he was still very close to her. They'd been friends since Caz was in the 4th grade. She could tell him anything and he could do the same. He was in a rock band and Caz went to every one of his concerts. She hoped that one day she would be able to join his band and play with him up there on stage.

Smoothing out the wrinkles in her uniform, Caz looked in the mirror again. She hastily drew around her eyes with black eye liner and slid on some dark purple lip gloss. Brushing out her hair once more, the girl grabbed her backpack and ran out the door. She neglected to shout a good-bye to Aiyun.

Caz galloped down the stairs of her apartment. Once she was out the front door, Caz walked as fast as she could down the sidewalk. Throngs of people, from school children to businessmen, crowded the narrow stretch of concrete. She pushed through them and waited at the crosswalk for the sign to glow green for "walk." Finally the red sign switched to green and Caz ambled across the street. At the other side she noticed someone she knew from one of her classes.

"Sutakyo-san!" the girl shouted, her black ponytail bouncing as she raced towards Caz. She wore a horrified look on her face.

"Yanaki-san. What is it?" Caz asked with concern.

"I-it...it's..K-" the girl stopped and tried to catch her breath.

"Slow down."

"It's Kunisai Akio! He...he.." tears seemed to be forming in her eyes.

"What?" Caz demanded. "What happened to Akio? Is he okay?"

"N-n-no! He's...he's...dead!"

Caz stared at the girl, her mouth wide. "There must be some mistake..Akio..he can't..."

"I saw it with my own eyes! He..he..walked out in front of a car. There..there were two cars..and..they were going too fast to stop in time and..."

"Where? Please..take me there!" Caz commanded. Yanaki-san nodded and Caz followed her through the crowd. They came to a place in the street where there were flashing road blocks and yellow caution tape strung up all around the area. The red and blue lights of police cars and ambulances flashed. Medics and policemen were standing in clusters. Caz ignored the flashing lights and slid under the yellow tape. Yanaki-san tried to stop her but nothing would stop the blonde girl from finding out what was happening.

"Hey, girl! You're not supposed to be in here. Can't you read the tape?" a policeman yelled. Normally Caz would have yelled something rude in defense but not now. She walked over to him, her fists clenched.

"Where is Kunisai Akio? Tell me where he is."

"Kunisai..Akio..." the policement thought for a moment, "...Oh! That was the poor boy that got hit today. Sorry, kid. He passed away about an hour ago."

"No! You're lying!" Caz ran at the policemen and grabbed him by the collar. "Tell me the truth! Where is he?"

The policemen scowled and pushed her away.

"I told you, he's dead. They're taking him away in an ambulance. Now get out of here."

Caz didn't move. She just stood there, a single tear falling down her cheek.

"He's...gone. Akio is...gone." she whispered. Then she ran from the policeman, tears streaming down her face, eyeliner and lip gloss mixing with the wetness. She wasn't sure where she was running to. She just wanted to find Akio.

"Hey! Hey! Get back here!" the policeman yelled after her but her ears could not hear his shouts.

She sped towards the two wrecked cars and stopped in from of them. One, a small blue car was jammed halfway through a street lamp. The other, a bigger grey car was smashed into the back of the blue car. Near them was a black skid mark and smeared blood on the street. Caz's eyes darted around. She saw more police cars and then an ambulance. Two medics were lifting a stretcher into the back. The girl ran to them and barely came to a stop when she saw the mangled, bloody body in the stretcher.

"Akio!" Caz screamed. She fell to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably.

She looked up for just a moment and saw a bright yellow orb of light above the body of her friend. Tears still staining her cheeks, she saw the orb rise and before her eyes a person appeared, hovering in the air. He looked young, a few years older than Caz. He had short blonde hair and hard brown eyes. His expression was so distant and cold that it made her shiver. He wore a saffron yellow shirt, black pants and vest. On top of his head was a black hat that looked like it had dog ears sprouting from it. Two elegant white wings grew from his back.

"An...angel?" Caz whispered. She watched as the winged boy reached down and took the floating orb of light. The boy's eyes narrowed as he felt her looking at him. He turned and gazed at her with his sharp eyes.

"You...can you see me?" he asked.

She blinked up at him, sniffing back her tears, and nodded. "Who are you? An angel?"

He frowned at her for a few seconds and then laughed, a sort of laugh that adults give kids who've just said something stupid. A laugh that says "how pathetic."

"You're not an angel, are you? What are you?" she demanded in a shaky voice, humiliated by his mocking laugh.

"I am.." they locked eyes and he smiled menacingly, "..a shinigami." With that, he flew up into the sky and disappeared in a brilliant flash of light. Momentarily blinded, Caz covered her eyes with her hands. Once the light was gone, she removed her hands and looked up. A few glowing white feathers floated down from where the shinigami had been. Caz got up slowly and caught one before it reached the ground.

"A...shinigami." she whispered to herself.


	2. It's Raining Cats and Rabbits?

_**Reaching for the Stars**_

**Chapter 2:** It's Raining Cats and...Rabbits?

Caz gloomily walked down the sidewalk to her apartment. The sky above was filled with angry grey clouds and a soft shower of rain sprinkled on the cement, just barely getting the girl wet. She didn't bother to cover her head; she had on a long black coat with the collar up. It was Akio's coat. Her hands were jammed into the pockets.

It had been a month since the death of her best friend. Caz had spent two weeks after that day crying in her room, barely eating or drinking anything. She still hadn't recovered completely. It showed on her downcast face. She had an aching wound that would not go away. It was a feeling of sadness that she could not banish from her heart. Her friends and family wondered, would she ever be able to smile again?

The girl came up to her apartment building and fumbled in her pocket for the key. It wasn't in her right pocket. She sighed and searched the left. It wasn't in there, either. Caz cursed out loud. Where was her key? She always kept it in her right pocket. It wasn't anywhere to be found. Giving up, she sat down on the step and waited for one of her family members to come home from work.

She didn't mind that it was raining. In fact, she liked the rain. Caz enjoyed the sweet moist scent and refreshing feeling that came with it. She looked up from the step, into the sky. The clouds overhead moved slowly, their reflection hazy in the pools of water collecting on the sidewalk. As Caz looked down into a puddle near her feet, she saw two people walking on the other side of the street. They were wearing some sort of costumes.

The girl was a little older than Caz. She wore a short black skirt, a short black top that cut off above the waist, and a big black top hat with bunny ears; all trimmed with white frills and red ribbon. A white cotton ball bunny tail was attached to the back of the skirt and she also wore a thick large belt. Her beautiful, pale pink hair was extremely long and flowed down to her knees. Most likely dyed that shade. Both of the girl's large eyes were a stunning shade of magenta. Probably colored contacts, Caz guessed.

The boy was very tall and around Caz's age. His black hair was pulled back into a sliver of a ponytail at the back of his neck. He had long bangs that hung over his deep blue eyes and he wore a white and light blue hooded shirt over black long-sleeved top that cut off above the waist. He wore sky blue jeans. Oddest of all was the hat on his head. It was white with two large cat ears on topand two blue ribbons on either sidehanging down over his ears.

Caz wondered why the two of them would be wearing such silly costumes, especially on the streets. It wasn't Halloween, not anywhere near October. Perhaps it was a cosplay, she thought. Anime fans were known to dress up like their favorite character for conventions. But she didn't know of any series that had characters like that. And there wouldn't be a convention for months. Anyway, it wasn't any of her business. Caz ignored them as they walked past her. The girl with the big hat was trailing behind the boy with the cat-eared hat. Her fists were clenched and she looked angry.

"Takuto!" the girl in red hissed. She had a high-pitched voice. "Slow down! You're always going too fast."

The boy, his name was apparently Takuto, ignored her. He kept on walking in his fast pace. Caz noticed a pair of white wings on his back as well as a thin cat tail.

"Takuto!" the girl shouted after him. "I'm talking to you!"

Takuto continued to ignore her, an annoyed expression on his face. Then suddenly he stopped mid-stride. The girl behind him didn't notice his sudden hault and slammed into his back. Both toppled to the ground with a thud.

"Baka! Watch where you're going, Meroko!" Takuto growled, rubbing his head. The girl, Meroko, stood up and dusted off her skirt.

"It's not my fault you stopped so suddenly!" Meroko fumed. Takuto was about to snap back with a retort but his angry expression softened as he got up from the sidewalk.

"I think that apartment right there is the place." he pointed towards Caz with a white gloved hand.

"Oh." Meroko replied, her expression also changing to a more calm one. "Are you sure?"

He nodded hesitantly and they walked over to where Caz was sitting. She noticed that Meroko was also wearing a pair of white wings on her back.

"Um...are you looking for someone?" the blonde girl asked. A little politeness never hurt anyone. "I might be able to help you." To her surprise, both of them completely ignored her.

"Fine. Whatever." Caz muttered. "I guess even cosplayers don't want to talk to me." She watched them go up to the door and expected them to ring the doorbell. Instead they started to float in the air before her very eyes. Then it hit her. Their wings...they were...

"Shinigami!" Caz blurted out. Soon after she clamped her hand over her mouth. Both of the costumed people gasped and slowly turned to her. Their eyes and mouths were wide open in shock.

"Y-you didn't just talk to us, did you?" Takuto asked nervously. He floated over to her, his feet just a few inches above the ground.

"Um...yes?" Caz replied, looking up at him with a very confused expression.

"Kyaaaaaaa!" Meroko exclaimed. "How is that possible? Humans aren't supposed to be able to hear or see us!"

She propelled herself up a few feet. Out of thin air, a small pink book popped into her hands. She opened it quickly and flipped frantically through the pages with lightning speed.

"Humans..seeing us..." she mumbled. "..Ah! Here it is!"

Meroko poked the page with her index finger. Caz saw that she was wearing black gloves. The pink-haired girl cleared her throat in a dramatic way.

"It says here that 'Humans cannot, under any circumstance, see or hear a shinigami in their true form. However, it is possible in emergencies for a shinigami to use their power to transform into a human form and thus be seen by mortals.'"

"Nani?" Takuto said, blinking. "Then how can this girl see us?"

"I...I don't know." Meroko replied, her voice almost a whisper. She flipped through more pages. "It doesn't say anything about this in the book! What are we going to do, Takuto? What are we going to do?"

Takuto's blue eyes focused on Caz for a few seconds. The blonde girl stared back but looked away, feeling awkward. Finally the boy sighed and looked at the apartment.

"What are we going to do? Nothing. We're here to do our job and as long as she doesn't interfere, what does it matter if she can see us?"

"Demo...Takuto! Don't we have to report this to the boss?" Meroko squealed.

"And have him laugh at us and say that we made it up?" Takuto shook his head. "Let's just do the job and get out of here."

"Demo...demo.." Meroko chewed on one of her fingernails.

The boy frowned and turned away. Caz's eyes followed him as he flew to the door of the apartment. Instead of actually opening the door, he simply walked through the wall. A sort of swirling rainbow vortex allowed him to pass through it with no trouble. Caz gasped and stood up. She turned to Meroko.

"W-what are you? I mean...what are shinigami?"

The little pink book in Meroko's hands disappeared in a puff of white smoke.

"How do you know we're shinigami if you don't know what we are?" she asked curiously.

Caz's thoughts raced back to that horrible day when Akio was taken from her. She remembered the desolate, icy gaze of the boy with golden hair. She remembered the way he laughed at her when she asked if he was an angel.

"I...saw a shinigami a month ago."

Meroko suddenly looked very interested. She flew down and levitated near where Caz was standing.

"Oh? What did they look like?"

"Well...he had blonde hair and brown eyes, wore yellow and black clothes. Do you know anyone like that?"

The shinigami shifted nervously in the air, avoiding Caz's eyes.

"No!" she shook her head. "I've never met anyone like that."

"Oh." Caz frowned and sat back down on the step. "Well, I thought maybe he was an angel because of the wings and all but he told me he was a shinigami. So, can you answer my question? What are you..shinigami?"

Meroko floated to the ground and sat down by Caz. She thought for a moment.

"Well...how can I put this?.." she said, thinking. "...we collect the souls of the dead."

"I see." Caz replied thoughtfully. "That explains why that shinigami came to Akio. He was taking his...soul."

The pink-haired shinigami frowned sympathetically though she didn't know who Caz was talking about.

"Who are you here for? Not me, apparently. Otherwise you wouldn't have to go into the building. Is it that guy on the first floor that plays his music way too loud? Or that mean old lady down the hall? If you took their souls, it certainly wouldn't hurt _my_ feelings."

Suddenly Takuto reappeared via the rainbow vortex, his body halfway through the wall. His eyebrows were arched in a vexed expression.

"Geez Meroko! What's taking you so long?"

"Gomen! I...was just talking to the girl."

"Well, come on. I can't find this woman anywhere in the apartment." He began to go back through the vortex.

"Wait, Takuto! Maybe she can help us!"

He stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Who?"

Merokopointed to Caz. "Her! The girl! She lives here so she might know."

Takuto didn't look very convinced. He closed his eyes. "Fine. Ask her."

Meroko smiled triumphantly.

Caz raised a finger. "Um..just so you know, my name is Caz. Not 'the girl'."

"I didn't know your name. So, Caz," she became serious. "Do you know where we can find someone named Sutakyo Aiyun?"


	3. Kawaii Kitty

_**Reaching for the Stars**_

**Chapter 3:** Kawaii Kitty

Caz stared at Meroko with wide eyes. "That..that's my...my sister!"

"Your sister?"

Caz nodded and wrapped her arms around her knees. "Well, she's not my real sister. I'm adopted. But she's still my sister."

Takuto crossed his arms and frowned deeply at Caz. There was a hint of concern in his eyes. Meroko's lip began to quiver.

"Your sister? Now I feel awful! Ohhh!" she wailed. "See, Takuto! This is why mortals aren't supposed to talk to shinigami. It only causes problems."

She made an angry face at him and waited for a response. Takuto ignored Meroko once again. He flew over to Caz and looked down on her. "Do you care a lot about your sister?"

Caz closed her eyes momentarily and sighed. "She can be a big pain sometimes, always giving me a lecture or telling me how I should live my life. We fight constantly. But...she's my sister, you know. I'll never get another one."

Takuto sat down next to her, opposite of Meroko. "Well, from what I understand, fate can't be changed. However, there is one detail that we haven't mentioned."

"Nani?" Meroko looked over at him and blinked. "What detail?"

"Sutakyo Aiyun still has a year left to live. We had to come here for her but we're only here to watch her until her year is up."

"What difference does that make? We're still going to have to take her soul!" Meroko shouted. Takuto glared warningly at her, afraid of how her words would affecting Caz.

"A year..." Caz whispered. She smiled sadly. "That's fine. A year is all I need...to make things right."

The two shinigami exchanged worried glances.

"What do you mean by that?" Meroko asked. Caz took a deep breath and looked down at her feet.

"Maybe I can't change the fact that Aiyun will die. But I can at least try to be a better sister. If I do that much, neither of us will have any regrets."

Takuto gazed up into the sky. The rain was beginning to stop. The grey clouds were dispersing. Rays of sunlight shot through little holes between the clouds, revealing the clear blue sky hiding above.

"You're strong. Stronger than I would be in that situation." he said softly.

"Not really." Caz whispered with a sad laugh. "Every day tears me apart from the inside but it never shows."

Meroko frowned and searched for something to say. Before she could, the blonde girl abrubtly stood up and put her hands in her coat pockets.

"I just remembered where my key is." she said to herself. "I handed it to Yanaki Keiko in my third class. She probably still has it."

Caz started walking fast down the sidewalk, away from her apartment. Meroko got up and flew after her.

"Wait! I want to come, too!" she shouted but Takuto was already flying ahead of her. "Takuto! What are...?"

"I'm going with her. You stay here, Meroko, in case Sutakyo Aiyun comes home."

"Takuto! That's not fair!" Meroko screeched. Despite her anger she sank back down to the ground and sat down on the step. She sniffed. "I always get left behind."

Caz continued to walk, her black coat trailing behind her. Takuto flew up beside her. She looked sideways at him.

"Why'd you come with me?"

He slowed down, startled by the question. His eyes widened slightly.

"Uh...well..." he blinked, trying to find something to say.

"It doesn't matter. It's fine with me." she said, saving him the explaination. "Hey, Shinigami Meroko-san said that no other humans, besides me, can see shinigami except when they're in their human form, right?"

"Hai." he replied slowly, suspicious of what she was getting at.

"Do you think you could...you know...transform into your human form, please? If people can't see you, they'll think I'm crazy and talking to myself. I mean, they're scared of me already but this..."

"No." he stared straight ahead. "I can't do that. It would take too much of my energy."

"Oh." Caz's face fell. "Then we'll just have to stay silent until we're somewhere where there aren't any people."

"Actually," he said, "there is another way."

"Really?"

He nodded. Suddenly Takuto disappeared into a big cloud of white smoke. When the smoke cleared, a small figure was in his place. It looked like a white stuffed cat with a collar and everything. Two tiny wings on its back proved that this was Takuto's new form. He flopped in the air and landed in Caz's arms. She stopped and blinked in surprise.

"See. This form doesn't take as much energy." he announced.

Caz stared at him, not sure what to say. Suddenly she began to laugh.

"W-what's so funny?" he asked uneasily.

"I-I-I'm sorry!" she laughed. "It's just you were..." she showed his original height with her hand. "..and now you're..." she compressed her hands to his new height and laughed again.

The little cat in her arms scowled.

"It's not funny."

"I'm sorry! You're right." she exclaimed. But soon she was back into a fit of giggles. Annoyed, he shut his eyes and folded his tiny arms.

"Just keep walking."

"People will still think I'm crazy if I'm talking to a stuffed animal."

"I'm not a stuffed animal! Just don't talk to me, then, if you're so worried!"

Eventually Caz was able to control her laughter. She walked down the sidewalk, passing several buildings and street corners. Finally they arrived at Kashiwa street, where Yanaki Keiko lived.

"This is the street." she told Takuto. He nodded and remained silent. Caz walked up to a shop at the ground floor of the second building on the street. A sign in the window said "Yanaki Bakery." She entered and saw a woman, Keiko's mother, standing at the counter. Around her were shelves and freezers full of breads, cakes, pies, and about anything else you could make with dough.

"Konnichiwa, Yanaki-san." Caz said.

"Oh, Sutakyo-san."

"Is Keiko home?"

"Hai. She's up in her room. You can go up there if you'd like." she motioned to a set of stairs hidden in the corner.

"Arigatou." Caz nodded and climbed the stairs. She knocked on the door and waited.

"What is it?" a familiar voice called from behind the door.

"Yanaki-san? It's me, Caz. Can I come in?"

"Oh! Sutakyo-san. Hai!"

Caz turned the knob and walked in. Keiko was sitting on her bead, reading a magazine. Light streamed in from a big window behind her. Her room was very neat and organized. The walls were painted pale blue and her bedspread was light pink. Rows of stuffed animals, all shapes and colors, lined her shelves and swarmed her white dresser. All in all, it was the complete opposite of Caz's room. She felt a little intimidated by all the neatness. In Akio's black coat, she looked strange amongst the light colors and sea of plushies. Keiko smiled warmly as Caz entered, and put her magazine down. The girl's black hair was pulled up into a usual ponytail. She still hadn't switched her school uniform with her own clothes.

"What brings you here?" she asked cheerfully.

"Uh..well, I remember that I handed you my key in our third class. I was pulling some papers from my backpack and-"

"The key! I have it right here!" Keiko exclaimed. She pulled her pink backpack from beneath the bed and produced the silver key from one of the pockets. Caz took it and bowed quickly.

"Arigatou. I should be going now."

"So soon?" Keiko looked disappointed. She looked up and noticed the white cat in Caz's arms. "Oh! I didn't know you collected stuffed animals, too! Wow! We have something in common! That's so neat!"

Caz looked down at Takuto.

"Uh..well...I don't really collect them but you see..." Caz tried to explain but before she knew what was happening, Keiko had lifted Takuto out of her arms and was hugging him tightly. Caz looked on, mouth wide open, wondering how Takuto would handle the situation.

"Wow! This stuffed kitty is so kawaii! And soft, too!" Keiko squealed with delight. She hugged the little cat tighter to her chest. Caz could tell he wasn't happy about it. "Where did you get it?"

"Where did I..uh.." Caz thought quickly. "It was a present. From my aunt. So I don't know where she got it."

"Oh I see. You should ask her. I want one!" Keiko was still suffocating Takuto.

"Yeah, okay..."

"I hope I can get one. What brand is it? Maybe I can find on the internet."

"Eh...I'd better go. My mom asked me to..uh...clean my room." Caz lied, knowing Takuto wasn't going to last much longer in Keiko's grasp.

"Your mom? Okay! I understand." Keiko hugged Takuto once more and gave him back to Caz. "See you tomorrow at school!"

"Okay! See you!" Caz replied in a fake-cheerful tone. She left the room as fast as she could. She bounded down the stairs, said a quick good-bye to Keiko's mother, and exited the bakery. Once outside, the blonde girl breathed out with relief. She looked down at Takuto. He looked like he was on the verge of death.

"Shinigami Takuto-san? You okay?"

Takuto made a noise that sounded like a cough.

"That was no girl. _That_ was a monster." he grumbled. Caz sighed and half-smiled at him.

"Now you know what I've been going through the last 15 years of my life."

"That's horrible. And don't call me 'Shinigami Takuto-san.' Just call me Takuto."

"Fine."

Caz walked back down the sidewalk and came to her apartment again. There was a puff of white smoke and Takuto transformed back into his shinigami form.

Meroko was still sitting on the step of the apartment, looking depressed. She looked up and smiled wide when she saw Takuto coming.

"Takuto! You're back!" she exclaimed joyously. She flew over and pounced on him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. He frowned in annoyance and pushed her off.

"Stop that! Baka Meroko!" he said under his breath. Meroko scowled at him and crossed her arms. Her fists were clenched tightly.

"Takuto! You're so mean!"

Caz ignored them and inserted the key into the lock. With a loud mechanical click, the door opened and Caz went inside. After a few minutes of glaring at each other, both shinigami finally noticed that Caz was gone. Wordlessly, Takuto went through the wall in the rainbow vortex.

"Hey, wait!" Meroko shouted. She followed him through the wall in a vortex of her own.

Caz slowly climbed the stairs. She wasn't sure who would meet her once she got to her apartment, if anyone at all. If it was her mom, she would yell at her for coming home so late. But that was unlikely since her mother usually worked until late at night. If it was her father, he would probably babble on about some chore he wanted her to do. But he, too, worked until late.

The blonde girl came to her door and opened it with the key. She stepped inside and a light was on in the kitchen. A female figure stood in front of the counter. Her dark hair was messy and hung down over her shoulders. There was a white mug in her hand, steaming with what appeared to be coffee. She looked up from the newspaper she was reading.

"Aiyun." Caz whispered.


	4. Negi Ramen's 2nd Job

_**Reaching for the Stars**_

**Chapter 3:** Negi Ramen's 2nd Job

Caz just stood there for awhile, staring at her sister. She felt like if she blinked, she'd wake up and find it was all a dream. It couldn't be real. Aiyun wasn't going to die. Not yet..not yet...

"What are you staring at?" Aiyun asked, scowling. She took a sip of her coffee.

"Whatever the hell I want." Caz snapped, without thinking. So much for trying to make things right.

"Watch your language."

"Yes, mother." Caz replied sarcastically. She escaped quickly to her room and shut the door. She immediately flopped down on her bed.

Meanwhile, Takuto and Meroko were still in the kitchen, watching Aiyun.

They don't have a very good relationship, do they?" Meroko said with a frown.

"I guess not." Takuto replied.

"I still feel bad. It's her sister." she sighed. "This is why we're not supposed to talk to mortals. Understand?"

She turned to Takuto who was staring off into the hall which lead to Caz's room.

"Takuto? You jerk! Stop ignoring me!" Meroko's pink book appeared in a puff of smoke and she smacked his head with it.

"Ow!" Takuto looked back and glared at her. "Damn it! What was that for?"

Meroko grabbed his arm. "You're not listening to me again!"

He shook her off. "Let go."

Then both of them froze as they heard the far-off sound of Caz's tears falling and hitting her pillow. A sad sound. It was like a melancholy organ playing at a funeral. Like the sound of a flute playing a soft melody. Like the sound of a violin wailing its mournful sorrow. A sound that could only be heard by those who were no longer living.

"She's...crying." Takuto whispered. He quickly flew down the hall and walked through the door. Meroko, once again left behind, flew after him mumbling to herself about how much of a idiot he was.

Takuto gazed upon Caz from up above. She wasn't crying anymore but she looked depressed and her black eyeliner was running down the side of her cheek. The girl clenched her pillow close to her chest. It was dotted with wetness, evidence that she had been crying a lot. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know what to say. He just stared, wanting so much to be able to comfort her.

Meroko entered the room a few seconds later and also saw Caz. Seeing the girl in such a state made her want to cry, too. There were so many times when she herself had cried so much. Times when she felt like she was worthless. Those feelings were the reason she was a shinigami. Nobody should have to go through that, she thought. She had to cheer her up. Somehow. She looked up at Takuto and knew he felt the same way.

"Caz-chan? Are you okay?" Meroko asked. Caz ignored her and kept looking straight ahead. Meroko looked her and felt like she was also going to cry. Then she got an idea.

"Caz-chan, we never properly introduced ourselves." she said. Caz showed no change in her expression. "Takuto!" Meroko motioned to him. At first he looked confused but then nodded.

"We are the shinigami team that silences the tears of crying children..." he said.

"We are...Negi Ramen!" they said in unison.

"Meroko!"

"Takuto!"

Both did a dramatic-looking pose in the air.

"Now stop looking so sad. You look better when you're not crying." Meroko said.

Both of them landed in front of Caz, hoping for a smile. The blonde girl looked up at them with a frown.

"'Onion Noodles'? That's your name? Where did you come from, the grocery store? And I'm not a child. I'm sixteen." she said unenthusiastically, making a face.

"Takuto, why is that our name?" Meroko whispered.

"Shut up. I don't know." he hissed.

"I guess the boss likes food." she said thoughtfully to herself.

"So shinigami collect souls in teams, is that it?" Caz asked. The shinigami looked at her and nodded.

"Hai. Traveling shinigami usually do jobs in pairs. This is Takuto's first job." Meroko smiled at him in an 'awww-isn't-that-cute?' way. He folded his arms and looked away, embarrassed.

"I see. Then why didn't that shinigami didn't have a partner?" Caz wondered. Meroko blinked.

"What shinigami?"

"The one I saw..that took Akio's soul." she replied absently.

"Uh...maybe he didn't have a partner." Meroko suggested. She nervously fidgeted with the big bow on her hat.

"Maybe.." Caz repeated, unconvinced. "Are you sure you don't know the shinigami I saw?"

"Hey, who's this guy?" Meroko asked, changing the subject quickly. She was pointing to a picture on Caz's dresser.

"That's Akio. He...was my best friend." Caz replied, feeling a hot stinging in her eyes.

That was the boy Caz had mention early. The one that died. Meroko studied the image of the boy. He had long-ish black hair with a dyed red stripe in the front and pale blue eyes. He was wearing all black and chunky grey boots. The coat he was wearing..Meroko recognized it. It was the one Caz was wearing.

"He looks nice." Meroko said, not sure what else to say. Caz nodded.

"He was. He looked tough but it was just on the outside. He was...sweet on the inside. But few people got to know that side of him because he constantly locked his feelings away."

Takuto floated in the corner, silently listening.

"He does look tough." Meroko agreed. "But you can't judge a book by its cover, you know that old saying."

"Yeah. A lot of people...they didn't know how to deal with him. He was just different and they started to hate him for it. I guess it's the same way with me. People don't know what to do with me. Maybe that's why my sister and I don't get along."

"Ohhh. I see."

"My sister wants me to be like her when she was my age: always getting good grades, a member of every club, a player on almost every sports team, always looking perfect. I can't do that. I'm not her and I never will be so trying to be like her is an impossible task."

"Really? Well, you can't be exactly like your sister. It's not right that she expects that of you."

"Exactly. She doesn't get that but...despite that I still don't want her to die."

"Well, I've decided. I'm going to help you get closer to your sister before her time is up!" the shinigami declared. "And help you stay true to yourself at the same time." she added.

"Really?" Caz looked uncertain. "But don't you have to do your job?"

"My job is to watch Sutakyo Aiyun. But I can do that while helping you." she said with a wink.

"Me, too." Takuto said behind her. "I'll help."

Meroko turned and smiled.

"Takuto! I guess Negi Ramen has a second job to do."

Meroko wrapped him up in a giant hug. His cheeks reddened and tried to push her away.

"Stop that." he muttered.

Caz looked up at them and a smiled for the first time in months.

"A-arigatou. I...I really mean it." she said.


	5. Kuro Hoshi

_**Reaching for the Stars**_

**Chapter 5:** Kuro Hoshi

"I know! Why don't you go shopping with Aiyun?" Meroko suggested. She was sitting on the end of Caz's bed, coming up with a plan to bring Caz and Aiyun closer together. Takuto was outside on the deck, sitting on the railing. He didn't seem to be listening but occasionally he would glance over at them. Caz was sitting on the floor, reading a magazine. She looked up at Meroko and raised an eyebrow.

"Woah. One step at a time. If I asked Aiyun to go shopping with me, she'd ask me if I was feeling okay. Or she'd say that I should get a job if I want money. No doubt she'd think I wanted her to buy me something."

Meroko frowned. "That's no fun. Well, maybe we should go somewhere, anyway. Don't you get tired of just sitting in this dark room?"

Caz shrugged. "Not really. But I guess we could go out for awhile."

"Come on, then!" Meroko grabbed Caz's arm and pulled her up.

"I didn't say now!" Caz said crossly as Meroko dragged her out the doorway. Caz grabbed her black coat on the way and they climbed down the steps (Meroko flew, actually).

Takuto headed them off at the front door. They skidded to a halt before running into him.

"Where are you going?" he asked, arms folded.

"We're going...out." Meroko said mysteriously.

"I could come, too, you know." he said casually, looking away.

"Oh, Takuto, you want to go with me!" she exclaimed, delighted. She grabbed his arm.

"N-no! I just said I could come if you wanted me to. That's all." he answered, glaring.

"But you'd still be going somewhere with _me_, right?"

"With _both_ of you." he said corrected, frowning. He escaped her grasp.

"I guess it's better than nothing." Meroko whispered with a sigh. She smiled and followed Caz down the sidewalk.

On the way Takuto and Meroko changed into their chibi animal forms. Takuto shrunk down to look like a little stuffed cat again and Meroko changed into a bunny with angry-looking eyes. Caz held them both in her arms, though she felt silly doing so.

"Don't I look cool, carrying funny little stuffed animals." she said sarcastically under her breath. She hoped that none of her friends or fellow students would see her. If they did, she wouldn't want to show her face in public again.

Caz noticed a brightly-colored poster nailed to a poll. In black letters across the top it said: "Guitar Player Wanted." Then below it listed an address and date and showed a picture of a band consisting of two girls and two guys. At the bottom it it had the band name "Kuro Hoshi." Dark Star.

"This is..this is Akio's band." Caz whispered. "They're already looking for a replacement."

Meroko studied the poster. "Oh?"

"I wonder if I...no." the blonde girl looked down and shook her head.

"What?" Meroko asked, peering up at her.

"Well...I wonder if I should...audition. I mean, Akio was the one who taught me to play and everything. I planned on joining the band later anyway. But...I don't know. It just wouldn't seem right if he wasn't there."

"Whatever you want to do." Meroko shrugged indifferently. Takuto just frowned and didn't speak.

Caz walked on and left the poster behind. She put her hands in her coat pockets and looked up into the sky. The clouds were gone and only a smooth blue remained. She pondered whether she should go to the audition or not. Would Akio want her to? Or would he say that she should just move on and find a different band? Would the band feel like she was trying to replace him? Would they accept her like they accepted him? So many questions. She didn't know the answers.

"Why not?" she said finally, mostly to herself. "If they don't want me, it's not the end of the world."

"You're going to the audition?" Meroko asked.

"Yep." Caz walked back and read the address and the date on the poster. "6 o'clock tomorrow on 34th Street. Right." Caz read out loud.

"We're supposed to be shopping, remember? You should get some new clothes to make a good impression." Meroko said cheerfully.

"Something tells me they're not going to care what clothes I wear as long as I'm good with a guitar."

"Still! It'll be fun!"

"Oh, okay." Caz replied doubtfully.

They spent the rest of the day looking into shop windows and Caz tried on a variety of T-shirts and pants. As it turned out, Meroko was quite fashion-savvy so she helped Caz pick out things that looked good. After picking out some clothes that Caz liked, they stopped at an ice cream shop. Sitting out of the patio, Caz received some strange looks, eating with two stuffed animals that happened to have ice cream cones of their own. But Caz had to admit, Meroko was right. It was fun. Eventually, even Takuto was laughing and talking with them.

They finished their ice cream and Caz left for her apartment with new confidence inside. She felt like she could do anything. She would do her very best at the audition, she decided. And she was certain that Akio would approve.


End file.
